Minute's Silence For Famine Victims

A national minute's silence will be held later this week to commemorate the victims of the Great Famine.

Students at all state schools and staff at local authorities will observe the silence at noon on Friday as part of a new series of commemorations being overseen by the Government.

The FAI, GAA and Tennis Ireland will also observe the silence at all matches on Sunday, which has been designated as National Famine Memorial Day.

The Great Famine occurred during the late 1840s and early 1850s and is seen as one of the most watershed periods in Irish History, during which over 1 million died and another million emigrated.

The period is memorialised in many locations throughout Ireland, especially in regions that suffered the greatest losses, and also in cities overseas with large populations descended from Irish immigrants.

The causes of the famine are the subject of much debate, as the failure of the Irish potato crop following the onset of the 'blight' was compounded by the mistreatment and exploitative policies and practices of English landowners and government.

Community Affairs Minister Eamon O Cuiv said today it was a fitting tribute to acknowledge the loss suffered in one of the greatest tragedies in Ireland's history.

(DW/JM)